We understand that people tend to take sports very seriously, as they should.
Athletes and coaches tend to work together and push their boundaries of fitness, strength and stamina to become better and achieve new heights in their choice of sport. The sportsman's spirit is full of adrenaline, the determination to do better than ever and the hunger to win. We get it.
What we do not get is how some players, or rather their coaches, decide 'how much is too much'? What are the boundaries, where do we draw the line?
The case of Bengal's Under-19 Hockey Team is the perfect example of 'taking things too far'.
Bengal Hockey Coach Asks U-19 Players to Shave Head as Punishment for Match Loss pic.twitter.com/aLnrok4JBK
— Gurpreet Singh (@Gurpree46492633) January 21, 2019
During the 2019 Junior National Championship (Division B) taking place in Jabalpur, Bengal 1-5 to Namdhari XI in the quarterfinal, post which their coach, Anand Kumar, allegedly forced every member of the squad to shave their heads clean for losing the game. Out of the roster of 18, all but two players refused to give in to their coach's preposterous demand and did not get their heads shaved.
One of the players who didn't get his head shaved said, that the Kumar threatened to do the same even after they won their first match against Gujarat just because they “didn't play well.”
However, there is a flip side to the story as well, in which the coach absolutely denied all allegations and said that the students who did go bald, did it completely voluntarily and out of repentance for playing badly. He did admit to scolding them and saying something about 'shaving their heads' off, but clarified that he said that in frustration and on the spur of the moment.
As soon as the story broke, the Bengal Hockey Association officially announced a three-member committee to carry out further investigation. "I will speak to the players once they are back from school. Necessary steps will be taken," said Manmeet Singh Goindi, Director, Sports Authority of India.

Australian captain Aaron Finch must be having nightmares of Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, during the three-game ODI series against India. After successfully dismissing the skipper in the two preceding ODIs, Bhuvi completed his very own hat-trick against Finch in the third match itself.
BHUVI 3, FINCH 0: Safe to say, Aaron Finch has found a new bugbear in Bhuvneshwar Kumar.#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zTxRM2I7uq
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) January 18, 2019
On the final delivery of the ninth over, Kumar stunned the Aussie with a low ball which would have gone to hit the leg stump had it not met Finch's left pad first. After the umpire decided in favour of the bowler, Finch wanted to take a review but co-batsman Usman Khawaja convinced him to do the right thing and not go for the DRS.
This one was called lbw... #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Kno6FrQvm6
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 18, 2019
The LBW could not have come at a more opportune moment after Finch had smirked at Bhuvneshwar Kumar's unique delivery one ball earlier. After wicket keeper MS Dhoni had a small chat with the the pacer, Bhuvi bowled one of the most startling deliveries of the series as he released the ball from besides the umpire who was standing almost a yard away from the crease.
This one was called a dead ball... #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/8V7ElRzZd9
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 18, 2019
Finch, in disbelief moved away from the crease and decided to not play the ball and umpire gave called it a dead ball. Kumar was unhappy with this decision and bowled the wicket taking delivery on the final ball over the over.
Finch's wicket came after Bhuvneshwar sent vice captain Alex Carey back to the dressing room in the third over with a Virat Kohli catch at second slip.
The third match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the most crucial as it decided the winner of the series after Australia won the first in Sydney and India won the second in a wonderful fashion behind Virat Kohli's 39th ODI century and Dhoni's gaming-winning play in the final over.
Kumar has been one the most economical bowlers for the team and has a very good chance of getting selected for the 2019 ICC World Cup squad.

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